Is Sam’s Club Expecting a Little Sister?

Walmart is at work on repurposing a dark Neighborhood Market store near Dallas to premiere a new version of its Sam’s Club membership warehouse.

The new store, which is expected to open later this year in Greenville, Texas, does not have a name yet. The location previously operated as a Walmart Neighborhood Market before closing more than two years ago.

The store, at 32,000 square feet, is a fraction of the size of the typical Sam’s Club and would carry fewer items—about 1,000-2,000 items vs. 6,000 in a typical Sam’s Club. The merchandise focus will be on food, which the chain has been emphasizing at its full-size stores behind a revamped Member’s Mark brand, and higher-end selections in deli and fresh foods. The store would also utilize technologies in use at other Sam’s Club stores, such as its self-checkout capabilities, store pickup for online orders and delivery.

"The focus will be on making shopping with us even easier through a more digital experience, including fast membership sign-up, easy returns, checkout using Scan & Go, and digital signage throughout the club," Jamie Iannone, CEO of Samsclub.com, said in a blog post. "This will be smaller than a typical club – which is perfect for testing innovations in a live shopping environment. You can expect to see a new level of convenience at this facility, and the technologies we use will continue to evolve."

Related:63 Sam’s Clubs Locations to Close

Separately, Walmart has opened its first online fulfillment center at a former Sam’s Club site in Memphis.

The store was one of 63 Sam’s Clubs locations abruptly closed by the retailer earlier this year. The company at the time said up to 12 of the sites could be repurposed as fulfillment centers.

The Memphis site will support online orders for Sam’s Club. In markets where e-commerce accounts for a greater share of shopping, such as Europe, retailers have utilized dark stores to stage orders as an alternative to executing e-commerce trips in stores, which can interfere with traditional shopping trips and is generally less efficient.

This story has been updated with additional commentary from the company.